The UCSF Turnaway Study — the largest longitudinal study of abortion decision outcomes — tracked women from 30 US facilities over five years. Among those who received an abortion, about 5% did not affirm it was the right decision at the five-year mark; relief was the predominant emotion at every time point. Among women denied an abortion who carried to term, about 4% expressed regret about continuing the pregnancy by the same five-year mark. The near-symmetry is the headline: both paths converge on high reported satisfaction.
This finding challenges narratives on both sides of the debate. The claim that abortion leads to lasting regret is not supported — roughly 5% of women did not affirm the decision, and even that figure includes ambivalence rather than outright regret. Equally, the claim that women forced to continue unwanted pregnancies will resent the outcome is not borne out at the five-year horizon — roughly 4% report not being glad they kept the child, and most adapted with declining distress over time. The emotional trajectory matters: initial distress among turnaways was substantial (sadness, anger, anxiety in the weeks after denial), but it declined steadily.
The caveat that dominates is selection. The turnaway group did not choose to continue — they were denied by gestational-limit policies. This quasi-natural experiment is the study’s methodological strength but means the “inaction” side represents forced continuation, not a deliberate preference. Attrition was also significant: 38% of the turnaway cohort was lost by year five, and those who stayed may have been those who adapted best. The emotional picture is more complex than a single satisfaction item suggests — significant minorities reported mixed feelings even while affirming the decision was right.